Inaccurate map requires correction to show the Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem

"Please make an on-air correction of this glaring issue. Your viewers must be informed that East Jerusalem is occupied according to international law and that you displayed a false map obscuring this fact."


October 31, 2023

To:

Daniele Hamamdjian, Global News Special Correspondent, Global National

Dawna Friesen, Anchor and Executive Editor, Global National

Nathen Sekhon, Executive Producer, Global National

Dear Daniele Hamamdjian, Dawna Friesen, and Nethen Sekhon,

I’m writing to alert you to a significant error during your October 30, 2023 broadcast of Global National. The segment, titled “‘We are terribly angry’: Violence surges in the occupied West Bank,” included an inaccurate map. It aired at 6:35 pm EST on Global Toronto, station CIII.

The map is titled “West Bank Settlements,” and the host uses it to describe the West Bank geographically. The map updates in real-time to show illegal Israeli settlements. It is highly concerning that Jerusalem is shown to be entirely within Israel. None of the settlements in East Jerusalem are displayed.

Both Israel and the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital city, and East Jerusalem (which includes the Old City) is considered occupied Palestinian territory under international law. This is not an opinion but a matter of a settled consensus at the international level, as confirmed by the United Nations Security Council, the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Similarly, the Canadian government does not recognize Israel's unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem but considers the territory to be occupied.

A screenshot of the map, including settlements, is included here:

A less crowded, zoomed in version here:

A map from Al Jazeera helps clarify the issue:

Please make an on-air correction of this glaring issue. Your viewers must be informed that East Jerusalem is occupied according to international law and that you displayed a false map obscuring this fact.

Sincerely,

Jason Toney

Director of Media Advocacy, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East